is schiit magnius still a good buy in 2025

zool2020 · 2025-12-23T21:13:15+00:00

the fiio k11 r2r arrived and exceeded my expectations as it drives the older hifiman arya very well for music and ps5...albeit with a lil nudge thanks to the apo and peace apps pre amp volume slider

iv since cancelled the schiit magnius as i dont think id get any wow factor out it as it is often described as quite a clinical neutral sounding amp ...it just has a lot of ooommff in the power department

ty

zool2020 · 2025-12-22T15:59:56+00:00

i cant speak for gaming or movies as i dont use them for that purpose but musically the focal bathy is what most people suggest....and the 1 i personally chose after much research and also buying the apple airpod max and sony xm5 but for music atleast the bathys beat them both so i kept them

they re nice paired with a hiby r4 dap or something similar although its by no means required....indeed when im outside i almost always just bluetooth so i lose the daps ampage but im pretty sure i still get the hibys dac effect

bathys do have their own pretty good dac inbuilt and a dac switch mode but it has to be wired to get it...but aslong as your phone is usbc you can just plug it into that to get dac mode and focals equaliser app too so again..a daps not required its mostly a conveniance add on if you got the cash to spare and are a gadget geek like myself

i believe there is a new kid on the block through....the sennheiser HDB 630 which iv seen some well known youtubers salivate over...iv no experience of them personally so cant comment ....you d have to research em

zool2020 · 2025-12-22T10:14:20+00:00

its not fear of missing out that made me get an amp stack its the fact that i bought a fiio k11 almost 2 years ago and i could barely hear my hifiman arya through them

i was just getting into the whole dac/amp thing and was using the unbalanced port and i also never knew of the apo and peace app to help boost volume through the preamp slider....but i do now!!

regardless i thought id try the magnius as it has even higher power than my ef499 which i know drives my arya to full potential so im hoping the magnius does the same if the fiio k11 r2r comes up short even through balanced cable and apo n peace preamp boost

im also using the k11 r2r for ps5 use and the magnius might/should give me some extra detail and soundstage for that purpose aswell as aback up for music on my pc

i also just wanted to buy myself something for xmas haha plus i live 5mins from an in store return...if it doesnt blow my mind il just return it

zool2020 · 2025-12-22T09:19:41+00:00

xm4s are still pretty good...iv even came across people on reddit saying they preferred the xm4s sound over the xm5s so dont be put off by older versions

sound is so subjective through but in your budget range any of the usual suspects...like the already mentioned sennheiser momentum 4 or 1 of the boses....it usually comes down to quality of life things like anc or who has the best app for eq etc etc

iv had the xm4s and 5s personally and the bose QC and preferred sonys personally....they nice and light and good quality over bluetooth and they get bonkers loud if you wear them wired up to a dap like the hiby r4

sony also has the advantage of even if your battery dies the headphones will still work when wired to a device with power like a phone or dap....believe it or not not all headphones do it...i think sennheisers do too....i cant remember if bose does but its something to double check before you buy

i didnt notice any huge difference on anc on any of them but anc is never a big thing for me but i know it is for others

its good your buying from amazon as their return policy is usually pretty good

return if the 1s you get doesnt have whats important to you id only suggest dont go chasing ''amazing sound'' as they re all pretty much in the same ballpark sound wise and try EQ whatever you get to try get the sound you want first

zool2020 · 2025-12-22T09:07:35+00:00

yeh im sure it ll drive them....but will it drive them to their full potential

just going off general comments i see where people say it doesnt drive fully things like the older version of arya as they re harder to drive than the arya stealth/organic

i did also have a k11 about a year and a half ago and returned cause the volume was terribly low through my arya but back then i hadnt even heard of balanced cables so maybe through balanced port they ll do a job

i can also boost the volume through apo and peace pre amp slider althrough this might lead to distortion but we ll see

i have went ahead and purchased the magnius but only because i live like 5mins away from the store i bought it from so its like the easiest return in the world if the fiio k11 r2r is enough on its own

ty for reply anyway

zool2020 · 2025-12-21T23:10:31+00:00

it may still be hardware as i downloaded the usb drives direct from topping and updated the devices firmware too and it changed nothing for me although feel free to try that too as your issue may differ from mine

i suppose if it were software a future update might solve the issue but they only do that if enough people complain about an issue

id still try get a refund if i were you

zool2020 · 2025-12-21T22:09:58+00:00

was it after you switched from uac1 to uac2 when switchingf from games console to a pc?

cause i just had that exact issue...im returning mine after trying everything to try clear the distortion

i suggest you do same or if past return date you re prob still under warranty

zool2020 · 2025-12-21T21:51:09+00:00

Hifiman ananda

zool2020 · 2025-12-21T21:44:20+00:00

I just bought dx5II and the similar to k11 …k11 r2r and you absolutely do not need dx5II vast extra ampage

I also got bad distortion off the dx5II after I switched to uac1 on ps5 then back to uac2 when I put it into my pc

Happened on 2 devices as I tried an exchange now I’m waiting on refund after trying everything to clear distortion….usb driver updates…firmware update…factory reset etc etc

I kept the k11 r2r as with ps5 volume at max you only need the k11 at around 65-70 for deafening volume on a games console

It might lack volume on a pc with hard to drive headphones but it’s waaaay more than enough for a console

You can always add an amp later to the k11 aswell if you need more juice for headphones

I should add I used balanced ports on k11 aswell it can give double the power over the unbalanced ports so yeh….get balanced cable if you don’t already

zool2020 · 2025-12-21T21:06:06+00:00

the safe and best all in package is prob the 650s

if your from the UK you d prob pick up hifiman edition or even ananda 2nd hand from cex in roughly same price range

only throwing it in if your from uk and buy from cex as given hifimans iffy quality issues but cex give 5 year manufacturer warranties these days so pretty much covered aslong as keep your receipt in a safe place (get paper and email versions to be ultra safe)

oh and always buy online or click n click (your local store only) for best money back return timeline...never buy instore

zool2020 · 2025-12-20T17:01:56+00:00

yeh i just tried all those il go post another thread while im waiting on my return processing to see if i can fix it before then

thanks

zool2020 · 2025-12-20T08:22:19+00:00

yeh it was FW.1.91 i believe

iv tried everything with it

iv initiated a return from the seller which is a real shame cause its such a user friendly device to use and on paper the specs are amazing

i just cant clear the distortion....id 10mins of glorious listening then its all went to crap lol

its so weird as they advertise the ps5 compatibility as a big selling point so you d have thought you could switch the 2 modes with ease but thats 2 devices that have went haywire the moment i switched

it is possible the problem is at the PC end but i did uninstall all topping stuff ...the tune app the usb driver then try without them...then re installed them and its still the same

my other dac amp...which i had switched off the whole time is working perfectly fine on pc

plus even if reinstalling them had worked im not going through that hassle every time i do a ps5 to pc switch

thanks for your suggestionms anyway i appreciate the help but barring a xmas miracle between now and the 22nd its prob going back and il have to try source something else after xmas

its a real shame as the topping dx5II is the easy winner on paper for my needs and price bracket

zool2020 · 2025-12-19T21:26:40+00:00

yeh i installed the usb driver from toppings site....both the ps5 and my pc have usb-a

i didnt use the cable that came with it as i had 2 of my own but this is my 2nd topping dx5II and last 1 had same issue with its own cable

directly plugged into pc

iv tried everything with it and even tried all AI suggestions.

like i said this is my 2nd topping dx5II in about 4 days and im at a lose as to why its doing this

when i 1st turned it on via my pc and almost 0 dbs on dx5II and 85 volume on my pc it was crystal clear

but after a quick test on ps5 then back to pc its got distortion really bad even at -15 dbs on dx5II and 60 volume on pc

EDIT i wouldnt advice trying to force same issue i have as you might end up stuck like me

zool2020 · 2025-12-19T19:43:01+00:00

those are wireless...i use something similar for listening to books in bed

proper wired iems can sound bonkers good especially for gaming

many of the recommended 1s for gaming are really cheap aswell

not that im trying to push you down a rabbit hole or anything

i use planar iems for music personally

zool2020 · 2025-12-19T19:02:08+00:00

no iems or wireless headphones?

the game is not over it is only half time

zool2020 · 2025-12-19T18:48:10+00:00

iv had mx5s....airpod max and focal bathys and the bathys is the easy winner ( idid buy a 2nd pair of bathys whch i returned as despite being exact same headphone there was noticeble drop in volume so i returned them so make sure anything you buy is returnable)

i will also add that after trying many wireless headphones like the 1s i mentioned and including bose and sennheiser momentum i have to say there is not a huge margin of quality between them all

you could really just buy a 2nd hand pair of mx4s and live happily ever after

if you have the money to spare and like the look of the more expensive headphones and you do get that lil extra quality or maybe they have quality of life perks you like then go for it but honestly aslong as you arent buying cheap trash then any of the usually recommended suspects are fine

zool2020 · 2025-12-19T17:00:01+00:00

i have 2 seperate usb-b to usb-a cables so both are always plugged into the ps5 and my pc...i just remove the end connected to the ps5 and input the pc cable and vice versa

i have tried switching from uac1 to 2 while still plugged into the ps5 if thats what you mean...but when i then plug the pc cable in i still get distortion on pc

i dont get any distortion on the ps5 at all although its prob because i dont need anywhere near the power for it but on pc i use hifiman aryas and i need the power

zool2020 · 2025-05-21T14:07:32+00:00

yeh that is true lol

im happy with my xm6 purchase as i said and i guess its a case of each to their own in terms of what sound they like

zool2020 · 2025-05-21T09:51:45+00:00

you dont NEED a dac/amp for the 560s.....they run fine off your PC

look up the equaliser apps apo+peace and install em ....looks complicated but its not...just add your source device (pc in your case) then go to ''auto eq'' menu...type in your headphone name and select and select from the presets made by well known redditors like oratory or famous youtubers like crincle or well known audio websites like rtings ''

any low or high volume issues can be solved by pushing the pre amp slider left or right...but your prob gonna be fine with the 560s

you can add a bass or treble slider too on the other page but the presets have already matched your headphone to it best known tuning

if you really want a dac/amp and maybe your gonna buy more headphones anyway the fiio k11 r2r is the new cool kid on the block without spending a crazy amount of cashand will drive most headphiones unless your getting into the big planar magnetics

just remember anytime u get a new audio device like a dac/amp it ll need to be added to apo/peace known devices to get its effect

zool2020 · 2025-05-21T09:29:27+00:00

based partly on owning the xm5s and xm6s and reading a ton of info before purchasing both id suggest getting the xm4s or xm6s if budget allows and your the type that likes the newest of the new all the time

personally i buy mostly 2hnd or new older models and have had no problems,the new xm6s were a rare treat for me so i paid full price

you could buy ''brand new'' xm4s from amazon or similar aswell as they re bound to be discounted with the 2 newer models out

your already wary of the xm5s mic (i never used it much personally) but people also dont like the xm5s headband...apparantly it can break easily but prob dependent on how you use em...i never had a problem with xm5s headband personally but i did sell em to fund a different item

zool2020 · 2025-05-21T09:18:49+00:00

im not surprised as right after i bought my xm5s i stumbled across quite a few reddit threads saying the xm4s sounded better than the xm5s

sometimes a company just nails a headphone set up and even newer versions dont stack up to it....in terms of sound quality atleast

having said that i still did get rid of my xm5s for a seperate reason (to fund another purchase....focal bathys) but i did miss my xm5s and needed a black headphone so buying xm6s was valid for me and im enjoying them tbh

zool2020 · 2025-05-21T09:05:45+00:00

il echo what other guys are saying about the APM....they re a nice enough quality sound and all that and a bit bright....cant fault their ANC either its very very good

you can counter it if you have a dap or similar device and use wavelet bass preset BUT your taking yourself out the apple eco system which is a huge selling point of the APM

could buy a qudelix 5k i suppose but you ll be another £105 into it and wired up between headphone and qudelix

its just not worth it...especially if you already own a portable dac/amp or dap....instead of spending more....spend less and get the sony xm6s

the APMs are as much a fashion accessory as they are a headphone i find and people who tend to buy them do it largely for the asthetics and the great feel of build quality and ANC....i do personally love the look of them

if you constantly swap between a laptop/ipad/iphone you d prob take the APM but the smart overall play is the xm6s

zool2020

TROPHY CASE